Bucket elevator housing



S. M. MERCIER BUCKET ELEVATOR HOUSING Dec. 1, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 1Original Filed Oct. 5, 1946 [N VEN TOE;

TA'NLEY M. MEECIEE) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 4 [N VEN TOE S. M. MERCIER BUCKETELEVATOR HOUSING Dec. 1, 1953 Original Filed Oct. 5, 1946 STANLEYM.ME.ECIEE,

l I l I l IIBHHFI Dec. 1, 1953 s. M. MERCIER BUCKET ELEVATOR HOUSINGOriginal Filed Oct. 5, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 fNVE/VTOE STANLEY M.MERGER,

Patented Dec. 1, 1953 Stanley M. Mercier, Bexley, flhio, assfgnor to TheJelfrey Manufacturing Company; acomporation of: Ohio:

Original application October 3; 1946, Serial No. 700,928. Divided andthis application. May 27, 1950} Serial Nb". 164L771 13 claims.- (Cl.1-98-206:)

This invention relates to a bucket elevator or conveyor.

object of the" invention is toprovide an improved casing structure whichis suspended substantially as a unit and provides for free expansionandcontraction of the casing'in response totemperat'ure changes.

Another object of the" invention is to provide an improved elevatorcasing which is supported by a circumferential skirt, the casing beingfree to expand vertically in at least one direction a substantialamount.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a casing, as aboveset forth, with guide means whichguide the casing dining its verticalexpansion and contraction.

Still another object of the invention. is to provide an eievat'or casingof the above mentioned typein which a circumferential supporting ring isempioyed preferably combination with the mentioned circumferentialskirt.

Another object of the invention is to: provide an elevator in whichthere is a head shaft supporting draft means and a floating framecarry"- ing' a foot shaft, there preferably" being a casing totallyenclosing the draft means with bearings for the head shaft outside thecasing and heariii'gs for the foot shaft carried by said: floating frameand within said casing. Y

A further object of the invention isto provide improved bearingconstruction for an elevator or conveyor in which fluid is employed tokeep grit out of the hearing.

Still another object of the invention is to providean improved sealbetweenan elevator" or conveyor casing and a rotating shaft.

A further obgiect of the invention is to provide a totally enclosedelevator in which the foot shaft is mounted on a floating frame and iscarried on bearings, boththe shaft and the bearings being an "relywithin the elevator casing, there being in eating means outside: thecasing to indicate the height of the shaft relative-to said' casing.

other objectsof the invention will appear hereinafter, the novelfeatures and combinations heing set forth in. the appended claims:

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. i is a side elevational view of an elevator involving my inventionshowing a portion of the guiding and supporting superstructure, thecasing insulation being omitted; j

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of amodined form of elevatorinvolving features of my invention;

Fig. 2* is an enlarged. detail View taken on the 2s-2 of Fig. 1'looking: in. the direction of the arrows;

Fig; 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing particularly the: skirt:which supports the head section: and; associated: mechanism intheelevator ofiEig; 2;,

4 is an elevational view of the boot or foot section. of. the elevatorof! Fig. 2, the showing also generally applying to the elevator of Fig.1 exceptfor the supporting skirt Big 5 is. an enlarged sideview of. theelevator casing-of Fig. l showing also the: associatedfeed chuteandobservation: window;

Fig. 6 is an: enlarged sectional elevational view showing the foot shaftand associated mechanism;

Fig. 7 is. an enlarged view of the casing adjacent the tool; shaftshowing the shaft indicator mechanism, parts being broken away; and- 8-is a transverse sectional elevationalview of one end. of. the head shaftand associated bearing and; seal This application is a; division of myapplicationserial 700,928, filed October 3, 1946, now Patent No..2,570,363; dated October 9,. 19-51. Fig. 1 oi the drawings illustratesthe. casing and its mounting means for an elevator 33 incorporatingfeatures. of my invention, Figs. 2*, 3 and- 4 illustrating another formof elevator I33: also incorporating suchfeatures, it being understoodthat the elevators 33 and I 33 are similar in construction. except. forSuch differences as are obvione or are po-inted out hereinafter. I

Each of the elevators 33 and L33 includes a generally cylindricalelongated upstanding casing or housing 3-8 which provides a completeenclosure for endless chain bucket elevator conveyor mechanism.v whichis shown in detail in my parent application above identified. Atthebottom is. a feed chute 32-.

' In. the completed unit the exterior surface of the, casing or housing38 includes a layer of insulating material which has not been shown inthe drawings. This is because of the fact that catalytic material bothits regenerated and spent tormu to be handled by said elevator, is veryhot, as a consequence of. whichv there. is a high temperature within thecasing 38 when the system is in, operation. Because of the temperaturediiierences which exist within the. casing 38v when it is inoperation ascompared. with when it is shut down and; particularly in view of thefact that. the casing has appreciable height, for ex.- ample in oneinstallation it is approximately one hundred and. seventy-five feethigh, it is. necessary to provide for the free expansion and contractionof said casing 38, particularly along its length. To this end I providenovel supporting or suspending and guiding features in said casings 38of elevators 33 and I33.

In elevator 33 this supporting or suspending mechanism is in the form ofa peripheral frustoconical petticoat, skirt or flange 40 which islocated near the top of said elevator and adjacent the bottom of thehead section 4| of said casing or housing 38. The top of the skirt 40 isrigidly attached, as by welding, preferably around its entire periphery,to a supporting and reinforcing ring or belt 42 which in turn is rigidlyattached to and forms a reinforced supporting area on the periphery ofthe casing or housing 38. The bottom of the skirt 40 is provided with anintegral circumferential bearing flange or ring 43 about which it isrigidly attached, as by welding, which flange or ring 43 rests upon asupporting superstructure 44 which may include a pair of spaced I-beamsand interconnecting cross-beams which form a part of or are attached toa building or other independent supporting structure.

The entire load or weight of the casing 38, including the head section4| of the elevator 33, is supported by the superstructure 44 through theskirt 40 and ring 42. As a consequence of this fact it is evident thatthe casing 38, including the head section 4|, is rigidly connected tothe external supporting superstructure 44 in only one horizontal planewhich is the plane of connection of the skirt 4!] and the ring 42, andconsequently the casing 38 is free to expand without strain under theconditions of varying temperature which occur particularly betweenoperating and non-operating conditions. For example, if the head section4| expands it will expand upwardly from the ring 42. If the casing 38below the ring 42 expands it can freely expand downwardly therefromsince it is hanging free except for its connection to skirt 48 throughring 42.

The skirt 44 also provides for diametric expansion of the casing 38. Aspreviously set forth,

the skirt 4!] is in the form of a peripheral frustoconical petticoat orflange, the small diameter end of which is attached to the ring 42 andthe base or large diameter end of which rests upon the stationaryI-beams of the superstructure 44.

In providing for the expansion of the casing relative to thesuperstructure the skirt 40 functions as an upstanding load supportingmoment memher which connects the casing 38 with the superstructure.Because the ends of the skirt substantially follow the temperatures ofthose memhere to which they are connected through conduction, the endswill expand and/or contract according to the temperatures of thosemembers and since the superstructure is never as hot as the casing 38the smaller end of the skirt will expand and contract with the casingwhile the large end of the skirt will remain more nearly at a constanttemperature.

In view of the height of the casing 38 it is desirable to provide guideor anti-sway means 45 at spaced vertical intervals to guide and bracesaid casing 38 against excessive lateral movement which, for example,may be caused by the wind, since in most installations these elevatorsare built outdoors and are merely supported by open frames, of which thesuperstructure 44 is a part. The details of these guide or anti-swaymeans 45 are shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings and are describedhereinafter in connection with the description of the modification ofFig. 2.

The elevator head shaft 46 i shown in detail in Fig. 8 of the drawings,but for the time bein it is sufficient to point out that it is mountedupon a pair of spaced bearings, one of which is seen at 41, there beinga bearing 4'! adjacent each end of the shaft, each bearingbein car riedin a bearing block supported upon an I-beam or other structural member48 of the superstructure 44.

The structure of the shaft 46 and bearing 4! preferably follows thedisclosure of my Patent No. 2,430,236, dated November 4, 1947. The shaft46 is preferably covered with insulating material 49 (see Fig. 8) andpreferably includes a pair of friction rings 56 which are built up of aplurality of interconnected welded rings to form friction tractionwheels 5| which support and drive endless spaced-apart conveyer chains(not shown).- The structure of the traction wheels 5| and associatedchains preferably follows in general the construction disclosed andclaimed in my application, Serial No. 607,115, filed July 26, 1945, nowPatent No. 2,525,041, dated October 10, 1950.

Of particular significance in connection with this phase of theinvention is the fact that the complete casing or housing 38, includingthe head section 4|, is supported from the superstructure 44, while thebucket conveyer mechanism and head shaft 46 are supported from a spacedpart of the superstructure including the I-beams 48. In view of thetemperature variations to which the casing head 4| is subjected it isnecessary to provide for relative movement between said shaft 46 and thecasing head 4| so that the side walls of the head section 4| can move inplanes at right angles to the axi of head shaft 46. To provide for thisand still preserve the enclosing characteristic of the casing 38 Iemploy a novel seal 53 which is disclosed in detail in Fig. 8 of thedrawings and hereinafter fully described.

The head shaft 46 is driven from an appropriate motor and speed reducingdrive mechanism 54 mounted on the I-beams 48. I also preferably providea normally closed explosion door 55 adjacent the top of the head section4|. Said head section 4| also includes a discharge chute 56. A hood andvent pipe BI is provided for the three sections of the chute 56.

Attention is now directed particularly to Figs. 2, 3 and 4 of thedrawings and to certain details by which the elevator I33 differs fromthe elevator 33 and to certain particulars in which they are similar.Except for differences in the construction of the head section |4| ofthe elevator |33, as compared with the head section 4| of elevator 33and the method of supporting the casing 38 of the two elevators 33 andI33, both elevators are of substantially similar construction. Thedifferences in support, however, provide for one difference in therelation of parts previously described in connection with the elevator33, in that the head shaft 46 and supported conveyer mechanism 39 in theelevator 33 is supported directly from the casing 38 through the headsection |4| instead of being supported independently thereof fromsuperstructure I- bearns 48. This will be evident from the followingdetailed description of elevator I33.

Said elevator I33 includes a petticoat, skirt or flange. I40, similar tothe skirt 4!! of elevator 33, with'which there is an associated ring I42and ring 'or flange I43, the elements I40, I42 and I43 havingessentially the same relative relation as the elements 40, 42 and 43.Ring I42, however, is

rigidly attached to the casing 38 or elevator I33 to form a supportingarea adjacent its bottom rather than adjacent its top, and ring H3 issupported by I-beams of superstructure M4 which are adjacent the bottomthereof rather than adjacent its top.- As a consequence, the easing 38of elevator B3 is suspended or supported by the skirt I40 from thesuperstructure I44, with the major portion thereof projecting abovetheplane of support and only the foot section or bottom thereof hangingdown from said plane 01' support. I

The head shaft Mi of the elevator #33 is supported through bearings 41and associated bearing blocks which are mounted upon channels of a headframework 53 which in turn is supported on a torsion ring 59 whichcircumscribes the top of casing 38 and which isattached thereto by afrusto-conical petticoat, skirt or flange so, the bottom of which iswelded to the torsion ring 59 and the top of which is welded to asupporting area formed by the top of the casing 38 and the bottom of thehead section I4! thereof. It is thus evident that the frame 58 as wellas the head shaft 46 and bucket elevator mechanism is directly Supportedfrom the casing 38 in this embodiment of the invention. The drivemechanism lid for the head. shalt 46 is supported by the framework 58and is similar to the drive mechanism 54. Other feature Of the head secftion 14! follow those of headv section 4! which were previouslydescribed.

In elevator I33 guides are provided between the head and foot sectionsand. of course, in this instance they areabove the supporting skirt m,while they are below the supporting skirt 4!! in elevator 33. They are,however, of similar construction in each instance. Said guides areprovided by forming circumferential bands or belts 62 preferablyconstructed of angles, which belts 62 are rigidly attached to the casing38 by welding. It may be pointed out that the casing 38 is preferablyformed of a plurality oi interconnected tubular sections which arebolted or welded together by to and bottom section flanges which areclearly seen in both Figs. I and 2 0! the drawings.

At spaced intervals around the belt 62 are upstanding guide bars 63which are welded tothe outwardly projecting legs of the angle belts 52and which slidably extend into notches 64 formed in brackets or clips 65which are mounted on channel. members 244 of the superstructure 44,there preferably being guides 45 located at 90 degree intervals aroundthe periphery of the frame 38 adjacent each of the belts 62. It is thusevident that the bars 63- are rigidly attached to the casing 38 and arefree to slide upwardly and downwardly in the notches 64 of the brackets65' which are rigid with the superstructure 44. These guides 45, ofcourse, help brace the casing 38 and. prevent undesirable lateralmovement or twisting thereof under atmospheric influences or under theinfluence of the high temperature gases within said housing 38. It is tobe noted that there is a small space or clearance between the outeredges of thebars 63 and the bottoms of the notches 64 of the brackets 65that permits diametrieal expansion of the casing38y v Attention is nowdirected to Fig. 6 and to the structure of the foot shaft and itsassociated mechanism, which structure is applicableto both elevators 33and. [33. In the bottom of the cats- 38' there a root shall; 66 providedwith spaced wheels 61 adjacent opposite ends thereof which receive andguide the chains of the elevator mechanism 39,. the knuckles or saidchains contacting the peripheries of the wheels 61 and the side strapsthereof overlapping the wheel rims. Opposite ends of the shaft 66' aresupported in roller bearings 68 which are carried in a floatingframework 69. The framework 59 is mounted for free vertical or up anddown movement while being restrained against all other movement, itbeing mounted on. a pair of upstanding rods or shafts 10 (see Fig. 5),there being a rod or shaft- Hl adjacent each side of the casing 38, bothsaid rods 19 being on one side of the shaft 68. The rods it are attachedby appropriate plates or brackets Tl both at the top and bottom to theframe 38:.

Upper and lower guide sleeves F2 are carried by and form a part of thefloating frame 69 and are adapted to receive the rods 10 and. slidefreely therealong, thus providing for guiding of the floating frame 69so that the shaft 65 is always in proper position to maintain the chainsof the bucket elevator mechanism 39 in proper alignment with chainguides "i3 which are adjustably mounted by supporting brackets on theindividual sections of the casing 38., That is, the guides I3 aresectionalized with the sections of casing 38, as clearly illustrated inFig. 5 of the drawings, and each guide T3 may be individually adjustedin right angle directions so as to align it properly to receive andguide a run of a chain 52 which is adapted to be guided throughsubstantially the entire length of the casing 38.

The details of the bearings 68 can be seen by reference to Fig. 6 of thedrawings, the other bearing and associated mechanism being ofsubstantially identical construction. Each said hearing 68 thereforeincludes a block, casting or shell 14 removabl'y bolted to frame 59 androller bearing's 15 which include inner and outer races mounted on theshaft 65 and casting M, respectively. A set screw It holds the outerrace against rotation. A disc or plate H is attached by screw means 18to the end of shaft 66 and holds the inner race of the bearing E5 inplace. A thrust washer I9 is interposed between a disc T! and aremovable cover plate or cap 8i: tor the casting 14 Thrust washer i9 isheld against rotation and can be adjusted toward andv from the disc 1!by a pair of set screws that extend into recesses in. the washer TR, oneof which set screws is seen at Bl in Fig. 7 of the drawings.

It to be particularly noted that the shaft 65 and the bearings 68 areentirely within the casing; 38,. as a consequence of which there is noneed for cooling said shaft 6 5 since it and the bearings 68 are subjectto substantially the same temperature. Furthermore, this eliminates allof the normally present intricate mechanism involved providing a sealbetween: the shaft 66 and the casing 38 which would otherwise benecessary to retain the totally enclosing characteristic of said casing33. Access to the bearings 58 and associated mechanism. is provided byremovable circular or disc-like cover plates 82, there being one suchcover plate adjacent each side of the casing, or, in other words,adjacent each end at the shaft 66. These cover plates are provided onthe ends of proj'ectlmg drums 83 which are formed near the bottom of thefoot section of the elevator 33 or l33, as the case may be.

In order to indicate the position of. the shaft 85 at all times and alsoto provide means for keeping the bearings 15 free of grit, dirt, foreignmaterial, catalyst dust or the like and preferably Sillllllr taneouslyto lubricate them, I provide mechanism which is shown particularly inFigs. 6 and '7 of the drawings and which will now be described. Eachbearing cover plate 86 is provided with a bracket 84 which extends intoa drum 83 and is attached to the bottom of a drilled rod 85. Rod 85extends through the top of drum 83 through a stufiing box 86 and carriesan outwardly extending arm 81 which in turn carries a downwardlyextending pointer arm 86 which cooperates with an indicating scale 39carried on the plate 82. This pointer arm 88 at all times indicates theposition of the adjacent end of the shaft 66. The rod 65 is partiallydrilled or bored as indicated by bore 66 and adjacent its bottom isconnected by a flexible tube 9| which is preferably coiled about the rod85 and communicates with the bore 90, said tube 9% leading through afitting provided in a hole lo-' cated centrally in plate 80 so that afluid, such as air, flue gas, or the like, may be introduced underpressure into the bearing 68. Such fluid will create pressure within thebearing 68 and flow inwardly therethrough through a non-positive seal92, thus acting to prevent the entry of foreign material into thebearing and to blow out any grit or abrasive material or any otherforeign matter which may have worked past the seal 62.

In addition to cleaning out and maintaining the bearing 68 free offoreign substances, it is possible to lubricate it by utilizing theflowing fluid as a carrier medium for a lubricant. To this end agraphite pct 93 is provided which is con nected to the bore 90 throughpipe 94 and control valve 65, the previously mentioned source of fluidpressure being derived by pipe or conduit 96 and control valve 91. Acontrol valve 98 is interposed between valves 95 and 91 and the bore 56.If control valve 95 is closed and valves 6'5 and 98 open, it is evidentthat cleaning fluid or gas will be delivered to the bearing 68. If valve91 is closed and valve 65 is open, lubricating material, such asgraphite, oil or the like, will be delivered to the pipe leading fromvalve 91 and some of it may find its way into bore 90. Thereafter, whenvalve 53 is closed and valves 91 and 98 are both open, any such graphiteor lubricating material will, of course, be carried by the flowing fluidto lubricate the bearing 58. If valve 98 is closed all access to thebore 90 is shut off.

It is thus evident that the position of the shaft 66 at each side of theelevator may be determined at all times by visual indication outside theelevator casing, that the shaft 66 and associated bearings are totallyenclosed, and that they may be cleaned and lubricated or just cleanedwithout opening the enclosing casing 38, as aiconsequence of which theymay be cleaned and lubricated and then maintained clean while the unitis in operation.

Directly above the feed chute 32 is an observation window I29. Thiswindow I29 makes it possible for an operator to view the material withinthe buckets of the elevator mechanism without disturbing the enclosingcharacter of the casing 38'.

Attention is now directed'particularly to Fig. 8 of the drawings and tothe construction of the traction wheel and associated mechanism and theseal 53. Near opposite ends the shaft 46 is provided with the tractionwheels 5| which are formed of a plurality of welded rings, as disclosedand claimed in my application, Serial No. 607,115, now Patent No.2,525,041, except for certain minor differences. These concentric ringsare preferably under tension at normal temperatures so that when theyexpand under high temperatures they still frictionally engage eachother. In addition, they are welded together adjacent their peripheraledges. The major portion of the shaft 46 is imbedded in insulatingmaterial 49 which is built up around the traction wheel 5| except for aportion of the outer ring and the friction ring or tire 50 thereof.

The outer ends of shaft 46 are supported in bearings 41 and they arecooled, as disclosed and claimed in my Patent No. 2,491,899, datedDecember 20, 1949. The shaft 46 extends through oppositely positionedopenings I39 in the head section 4| of casing 38 to reach the separatelyhoused bearings 41, and the totally enclosed character of the casing 38is preserved by the shaft seals 53 which provide not only for rotationof shaft 46 but also movement thereof in aplane at right angles to itsaxis with respect to head section 4| of said casing 38.

The seal 53 includes casting or manifold I45 in the form of a ring whichsurrounds or circumscribes the shaft 46 and which at its inner end isprovided with a stufling box I48 including packing rings which cooperatewith a steel sleeve I4I directly attached to the shaft 46 and in effectproviding a renewable packing surface thereof which cooperates with therelatively stationary stuffing box I46. Adjacent the interior edge ofthe casting I45 which is adjacent the sleeve I41 there is a manifoldring I48 which is attached to the manifold or casting I45 and theinterior circular edge of which is spaced slightly from the sleeve I41.

A conduit I49 is provided in the casting I 45 and leads to thecircumferential chamber I50 formed between the manifold ring I48 andsaid casting I45. Air, flue gas or other fluid may be introduced throughconduit I49 into the chamber I50 which will flow inwardly into thecasing 38 through the peripheral orifice formed adjacent the sleeve I4I,thus removing and/or preventing the entry of grit, catalyst dust, orother foreign matter into the stufiing box I46, thereby preventing unduewearing of the sleeve I41 and the packing rings of the stufiing box I46.Sleeve I41 is of such length as to provide for expansion or contractionof shaft 46 relative to casing head 41 since it can slide axiallyrelative to packing I46. This also provides for diametrical expans1onand contraction of head section 4|.

Adjacent its outer periphery the casting I45 is provided with aperipheral groove which receives an adjustable seal ring I5I which hascontact in a vertical plane with a seat or seal ring I52 which isrigidly but removably attached to a ring-like plate I 53 whicheifectively forms a part of the head section 4| of the casing 38, sinceit is welded thereto by a rin I55. Insulating material is preferablyprovided on the interior of ring I55 between the main plate of headsection 4| and the above-mentioned plate I53 and extends to afrusto-conical plate I56 which defines the opening I39 and forms onesupporting plate for the above-mentioned insulation.

The seat or seal ring I52 is clamped rigidly to the plate I53 andcompresses a gasket against the plate I53, thus providing a removablebut tight connection between said ring I52 and said plate I53; Theclamping of these two members is effected'by two half clamping rings I58which are clamped by cooperating nuts and bolts I59. A clamp ring I alsomounted on nuts and bolts I59 clamps the casting I45 to the seal ringI52.

with'the previously mentioned seal l I interp sed. thus providing forrelative sliding m vement in an upright o vertical plane between thecasting I45 and the seat or seal ring I52, thus allowing for therelative movement of the head section 4| of casing 38 in an uprightplane or at right angles to the axis of shaft 46. 7

As previously mentioned, the casing 38 is made up of a plurality ofvertically superposed and attached sections removably connected togetherby top and bottom flanges and is preferably provided with insulatingmaterial on its external surface. In the form of the elevatorillustrated in. F g, l, the major portion of the casing 38 is suspendedand hangs downwardly along an upright axis from its single supportadjacent the belt 42 near its top. It is guided at spaced intervals andheld against lateral swinging by the guide or anti-sway means 45 whichprovide for its free expansion and contraction.

In the elevator I33 of Fig. 2 the single support is adjacent its bottomat the belt I42, the major portion thereof extending upwardly and'b'eingsimilarly guided by guides '45. As also previously mentioned, in theelevator 33 of Fig. 1 the bucket elevating mechanism is supported fromhead shaft 46 by superstructure 48 independently of the supporting ofcasing 38, while in the form of the elevator I33 of Fig. 2, bucketelevator mechanism 33 is supported directly from the casing 38, sincethe head shaft supporting framework 58 is supported through the skirt 60from the casing 38. Except for these differences the two elevators 33and I33 are of similar construction. This applies particularly to thebucket elevator mechanism which is the same in both cases as Well as thefeed chutes 32, observation windows I29, discharge chutes 5E, guides 45,seals 53, and foot shaft 66 and all associated mechanism describedparticularly in Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawing-s.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in thedetails and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as defined by the claims hereto appended, andapplicant wishes not to be restricted to the precise construction hereindisclosed.

Having thus described and shown an embodiment of the invention, what itis desired to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An elevator including an elongated upstanding casing, said casingincluding means forming a circumferential supporting area adjacent itstop, means including a circumferential skirt for supporting saidsupporting area forming means, said casing being supported at leastlargely from said supporting area forming means and extending therefromvertically at least in one direction a substantial amount whereby it isfree to expand and contract as a unit, guide means for said casingspaced vertically from said supporting area forming means and havingguiding contact with said casing while providing for its free expansionand contraction as aforesaid, and elevator conveyer mechanism in saidcasing.

2. An elevator including an elongated upstanding casing, said casingincluding means forming a circumferential supporting area adjacent itsbottom, means including a circumferential skirt for supporting saidsupporting area forming means, said casing being supported at leastlargely from said supporting area forming means and extending therefromvertically at least in one direction a substantial amount whereby it is10 free to expand and contract as a unit, guide means for said casingspaced vertically from said supporting area forming means and havingguiding contact with said casing while providing for its free expansionand contraction as aforesaid, and elevator conveyer mechanism in saidcasing.

3. An elevator including an elongated upstanding casing, said casingincluding means forming a circumferential supportin area, meansincluding a circumferential skirt for supporting said supporting areaforming means, said casing being supported at least largely from saidsupporting area forming means and extending therefrom vertically atleast in one direction a substantial amount whereby it is free to expandand contract as a unit, guide means for said casing spaced verticallyfrom said supportin area forming means and having guiding contact withsaid casing while providing for its free expansion and contraction asaforesaid, and elevator conveyer mechanism in said casing.

4. An elevator including an elongated upstanding casing, said casingincluding means forming a circumferential supporting area, means forsupporting said supporting area forming means, said casing beinsupported at least largely from said supporting area forming means andextending therefrom vertically at least in one direction a substantialamount whereby it is free to expand and contract as a unit, guide meansfor said casing spaced vertically from said supporting area formingmeans and having guiding contact with said casing while providing forits free expansion and contraction as aforesaid, and elevator conveyermechanism in said casing.

' 5. An elevator including an elongated upstanding casing, means forminga supporting area adjacent the top of said casing, means supporting saidsupporting area forming means, with substantially the entire casinghanging downwardly therefrom and suspended thereby, an endless elevatorconveyer within said casing including a head shaft, and means forsupporting said endless conveyer including said head shaft independentlyof said casing.

6. An elevator including an elongated upstanding casing, means forming asupporting area adjacent the top of said casing, means supporting saidsupporting area forming means, with substantially the entire casinghanging downwardly therefrom and suspended thereby, an endless elevatorconveyer within said casing including a head shaft, means for supportingsaid endless conveyer including said head shaft independently of saidcasing, and means providing a seal between said shaft and said casing,said shaft projecting through said casing.

7. An elongated conveyer casing adapted to be supported for expansionand contraction in an upright position including a circumferentialsupporting ring, means supporting said ring, said casing being supportedupright substantially entirely from said ring, and vertically spacedguides for said casing providing for free expansion thereof whileholding it against lateral movement.

8. An elevator for elevating hot material ineluding endless draft means,a head shaft supporting said draft means, a foot shaft, a floating framecarrying bearings supporting said foot shaft, a casing totally enclosingsaid draft means, said foot shaft and said bearings, bearing meansoutside said casing for said head shaft, and indicator means for saidfoot shaft located in part cluding a head shaft extending therethrough,

means supporting said head shaft independently of said casing, and asliding seal between said head shaft and casing providing for relativemovement between them along rectilinear paths at right angles to theaxis of said head shaft.

11. In an elevator including an upstanding casing, means supporting saidcasing adjacent its top with the casing hanging downwardly therefrom andsuspended thereby, said supporting means including a frusto-conicalskirt means surrounding said casing and carrying it through one of itsends, structure supporting said skirt means through the other of itsends, and anti-sway means for said casing spaced below said skirt forrestricting swinging movement of said casing.

12. In an elevator including an upstanding c'as'= ing, means supportingsaid casing including a skirt means surrounding said casing and carryingit through one of its ends, structure support ing said skirt meansthrough the other of its ends, and anti-sway means for said casingspaced from said skirt for restricting swinging movement of said casing.

13. In an elevator including an upstanding casing, means supportingsubstantially the entire weight of said casing in a horizontal planewhereby said casing hangs'there'from along an upright axis, andanti-sway means for said casing spaced from said supporting means forrestricting swinging movement of said casing.

STANLEY M. MERCIER.

References Cited in the file or this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,064,443 Chadwick June 10, 1913 1,433,754 Stone- Oct. 31,1922 1,705,478 Hartley Mar. 19, 1929 1,957,054 Waldorf May 1, 19342,133,487 Spargo Oct. 18, 1938 2,246,912 Baudry June 24, 1941 2,384,189Mercier Sept. 4, 1945 2,572,484 Howle et a1. Oct. 23, 1951

